


So We'll Go No More a Roving

by HollyMartins



Series: The Rogues Gallery [6]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Emotional Constipation, M/M, Past Mpreg, Pre-Slash, Sheriff Stilinski Knows, Sheriff Stilinski's Name is John, Slash, derek hale deserves happiness, get it together you two!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-05
Updated: 2014-09-10
Packaged: 2018-02-16 05:22:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2257380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HollyMartins/pseuds/HollyMartins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek and Stiles take tentative steps towards a relationship, with a little help from Derek's daughter and Batman.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

True enough, Stiles came home very often that semester.

He didn't necessarily seek out Derek but they tended to bump into each other in town. Derek was often at city hall, getting zoning approval for a fence and other incredibly boring things that made him feel much older than he was, which was located next to the police station. More often than not, Stiles' jeep was parked right outside.

One weekend in late September, they bumped into each other in the grocery store. Tallie spotted Stiles before Derek and shrieked from the shopping cart, "Stiwes!" (the letter "l" was still giving her trouble, no matter how much Sesame Street they watched) quite loudly.

Derek felt his heart lurch in nervousness when he saw Stiles approach their cart, his hands in his jacket pockets and an awkward smile on his face.

"Hi, Tallie," he said casually.

"Hi, how come you're not at school?" Tallie asked, tilting her head to the side.

"I came home to visit my dad."

Tallie's eyes widened. "You have a dad?" she asked, awestruck. "But you're a grown-up!"

Stiles laughed. "Grown-ups have dads. Moms, too."

"Daddy doesn't," she pointed out, scratching her nose.

"I explained that to you," Derek said quickly, wincing inwardly as Stiles blanched at her words. "I had a Mommy and a Daddy, too."

She shrugged. "How come you don't bring me Batman anymore?" she asked. She crossed her arms over her tiny chest in a scarily accurate mimicry of Derek.

Stiles smiled and relaxed. "I've been busy with school. But I promise to bring you some comics soon. I'll even read them to you."

"Today?" she asked.

"Tallie, Stiles is busy with his dad. Don't bother him," Derek said, running his hand down her messy ponytail.

"No, it's okay," Stiles said, looking at Derek. "My dad's working till six and I'm making dinner but I can come over for a bit. Or you can come to my house," he said quickly, as if Derek would object to having him return to his home. "Or forget it. No big deal."

"No, it's fine," Derek found himself saying. "You can come over."

"Great," Stiles said, grinning and Derek's heart almost stopped - he looked so much like how he remembered him being long ago. "I'll just go pick up some of my comics at home and then stop by."

Tallie nodded and clapped her hands. "See ya soon!" she crowed.

Stiles smiled at her tightly and nodded at Derek before returning to his cart and leaving the aisle.

"Yay, Batman," Tallie sang as she tried to reach for a particularly sugary cereal box on the shelf.

Derek maneuvered the cart away from the shelf and took a deep, steadying breath. This would be the first time since that stupid housewarming party that Stiles would be in his house. He looked down at his hands gripping the shopping cart handle and suddenly, Tallie's hands were on his cheeks.

"You okay?" she asked, her big eyes searching his face.

Derek smiled and exhaled. "Yeah, baby, I'm okay." He leaned in and kissed her on her forehead. "Let's get home so you can hear all about Batman."


	2. Chapter 2

Stiles arrived and seemed to have eyes only for Tallie. He smiled hesitantly at Derek and said, "I brought Batman and some old figures of mine," before grinning at the excited whooping of Tallie who bounced up in her seat at the kitchen table.  
  
Derek stepped aside and allowed Stiles to settle himself at the table with Tallie. He set his backpack on the ground and began to pull out a nice-sized pile of "kid-friendly, I checked," comics.  
  
Derek finished putting away the groceries and listened as Stiles diligently explained characters' backstories and relationships to Tallie,  who immediately developed an interest in owning her own cape.  
  
Stiles began to read to her and in an effort to appear busy and still have an excuse to stay and listen, Derek began rearranging the spice rack before deciding to give the stove a good scrubbing. When he glanced over, he saw Tallie peering at the open-faced comic very seriously as Stiles slowly ran his finger along the words in the speech bubbles. Derek allowed himself a smile before turning back to the stove top.  
  
Don't be stupid, he said to himself, he's just being nice to a cute, little girl because he feels bad. He's 21-years-old. This isn't going to become something.  
  
He was startled out of his thoughts by Stiles reaching into his backpack and pulling out an old Robin figure.  
  
"Here," he said and placed it on the table. "This is for you."  
  
Tallie's face lit up. Derek took two steps and put his hand on Tallie's arm.  
  
"Stiles, no, it's okay," he said. "The comics are more than enough."  
  
"But Daddy-"  
  
"It's not a big deal, Derek. This is a really old one of mine," Stiles said. "She can have it."  
  
"Stiles."  
  
"Daddy, please?"  
  
Derek sighed and released his hand. "What do you say?" he said to Tallie.  
  
"Thank you, Stiwes!" Tallie exclaimed, scooping up the Robin figure and promptly making him do a split on the table.  
  
"It's no problem, kiddo," Stiles said, smiling. He stood up and began clearing the comics off the table.  
  
Tallie nodded and all but ignored Stiles and her father as she made Robin perform some impressive acrobat moves.  
  
Stiles shifted his backpack onto his shoulder and nodded at Derek.  
  
"Well," he said. "It was good to see you."  
  
"Thank you for coming over," Derek said. "And reading to Tallie. You didn't have to give her anything, though."  
  
"I wanted to," Stiles said, shrugging. "It's not a big deal."  
  
"Thank you, though. Really," Derek said earnestly.  
  
And before it got too awkward, Stiles left.  


* * *

  
That's how it started.  
  
Visits to bring comics to Tallie. Bumping into each other while running errands and then spending the rest of the afternoon together, getting lunch as Tallie colored the kiddie place mats. Stiles stopping by on Halloween to deliver a bagful of candy and then joining them for trick-or-treating and yes, his Deadpool t-shirt and hoodie counted as a costume.  
  
Then when Stiles realized Derek and Tallie would be alone on Thanksgiving, he invited them over to have dinner with him and his dad. It was during that Thanksgiving break that Stiles took Derek aside and told him that if he took on a double course-load next semester, he could graduate that May, an entire year early.  
  
"Wow," Derek said, "that's really impressive. I didn't even make it through one semester."  
  
He leaned his elbows on the table, the sounds of Tallie meticulously explaining the plot of _Beauty and the Beast_ to Sheriff Stilinski in the living room.  
  
Stiles shrugged nonchalantly, playing with the frayed cuff of his sleeve.  
  
"Seriously, Stiles, that's an awesome accomplishment," Derek continued. "But... what about experiencing senior year? You know, the whole college... thing?"  
  
Stiles rolled his eyes and waved his hand dismissively. "I don't care about that," he said. "I mean, I enjoy college and my classes and everything but the whole party scene isn't really my thing. An anxiety disorder will do that to you."  
  
Derek frowned at Stiles' self-deprecating comment. "It's that bad?"  
  
Stiles smiled. "I think it's something I'm always gonna have. Besides, the sooner I finish, the sooner I can start my officer training." He leaned back in his chair. "And it seems that whenever I'm on campus, I just miss being home more."  
  
Derek looked down at the table top and wondered if the twist he felt in his stomach was one of pleasure or guilt.  
  
"I'll be done with college and be home permanently by May, if all goes well," Stiles continued quietly. He rubbed at his leg nervously.  
  
After a few moments of silence, Derek admitted, "That'll be nice."  
  
He glanced up just in time to see Stiles grin.

 

* * *

  
He didn't go to the graduation. He felt that that was a family-only privilege and Derek wasn't so lovestruck to assume that Stiles viewed he and Tallie as family. He did attend the bbq the Sheriff ("Call me John, son") Stilinski threw and Tallie was thrilled to help Stiles cut into the ice cream cake that had "May the Force Be With You, Stiles" in candy cursive on it. Derek didn't even mind having to wash the chocolate out of her hair later than night.  
  
Stiles, for the first time since Derek had returned to Beacon Hills with a toddler in tow, looked happy. His smiles were easy and genuine and almost always sent in Derek's direction, who flushed and ducked his head. At one point, the Sheriff, er, John, slapped a hand on Derek's shoulder and told him that he was proud of how far he had come. Derek looked at him quizzically and was about to remind him that they were celebrating Stiles' achievements, not his but the Sheriff just laughed.  
  
"You're a good man, son," the Sheriff said. "And you're raising a good girl all on your own. And I should know how hard it is to raise a kid on your own." Derek looked down at the grass, his mouth suddenly dry. "I wasn't sure at first but it seems Stiles made a good decision."  
  
And then Melissa took the Sheriff's attention away with the promise of another slice of ice cream cake and Derek wondering what that was all about. Then he heard Tallie's shriek of laughter and he turned, watching her chase after Stiles, a towel tied around her neck, flapping in the breeze like a cape.  
  
"I'm going to get you, Joker!" she shouted.  
  
"Never!" he cried, miming tripping over his feet and collapsing in a theatrical heap on the lawn, onto which Tallie threw herself.  
  
And Derek nearly staggered with the realization that he was actually happy.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'm going to take a break from the non-linear plotline and just focus on getting these two idiots together somehow. I do want to try multiple points of view and eventually go back to non-linear storytelling. I just hope it makes sense.
> 
> Please comment and review! I've already been inspired by my readers so please continue! Thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> I think I'm going to take a break from the non-linear plotline and just focus on getting these two idiots together somehow. I do want to try multiple points of view and eventually go back to non-linear storytelling. I just hope it makes sense.
> 
> Please comment and review! I've already been inspired by my readers so please continue! Thank you for reading!


End file.
